The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1887-09-08

"'NhNNhN W NhN HaSt Nh "NN'N"N ~
her sheritfs. 1t is not. for us, and
We do not now, Law criminal intent
at the door of any Of the old sheritt-
or Mr. McNair, but the fact remains
that all of them havc fallen short
and that the county the tax payers
have been the losers. Let us not
coutinue To blundcr in this direC-
lion; at any rate, if the people are
determined to do so, as far az this
paper is concerned, they shall do so
with their eyes open.
We republish the above. article
from The LEADER Of August llth tn
get freshly before our readers the
/ facts therein stated, that they may
the more fully comprehend. what
! follows.
/ At meeting held the week
following !the publication of said
articlc-whether caused by it,or not
we will not undertake to say-the
Board of Supervisors made full
and complete examination of the
delinquent tax-receipts for 1884 and
1885, aud found that the Sheriff had
collected on 1884. SOL. sc, and on the
receipts of 1885, $l03 Cor total
for the two years of $lG5.20 Now
subtract this amount from the 81
203.l1 charged against the sheriff
for the two years and we still have a
balance Of uncollected delinquent
taxes for the two years of $2,047 81.
Really, it is.a few dollars in excess
Of this, as a part of the Sl65.2O
the sheriff reported to the Board as
collected is State,tax, not charged in
our first article.
The Sheriff and his partisans
claim that delinquent poll taxes
cannot be collected, but the people
will hardly accept this as true, when
it is considered that nothing what
ever q man possesses is exempt
from seizure for poll tax, sand the
sheriff may even garnishee any one
owing delinquent for its colec-
ton.
We think the trouble is, the Sher
if has not used due diligence in the
matter. For example, the Editor of
this paper was in the Chancery
Clerks office last Saturday and ask
ed to be shown the stub. receipt
books in which the names of deln-
quent tax payers were recorded
The clerk produced them from the
Sherif's office (wbere by law
they should not have been)
and explained that they were
there because tue Sheriff pre-
ferred that the receipts should
not be torn from the stubs until
issued to delinquents, and that he
kept them there for that purpose
An examination of these books
which should not he carried out of
the Chancery Clerks office, and
certainly not out of the Court
uouse-showed that ont compare
lively few receipts had ever been
torn from the stubs for the purpose
of making any effort at collection.
For example, one book for 1885 run
ming from No. 4Ol to 600 inclusive
and embracing the delinquent lists
of Bogue Chitto, Little Bahala,
Fair River, McClendon's and
Adams Camp Ground, showed but
five receipts torn out. Also one book
for 1885, running from No. l to 400
inclusive, and embracing the delin
quent lists of Brookhaven and
Montgomery precincts, showed that
onl Y 50 receipts were ever torn out
for collection. All of the books for
1884 running from Nos. l to 1908
inclusive and embracing the whole
county, showed that but 344 receipts
had ever been torn from the stubs
for collection. Right here in the
town of Brookhaven, where there
are upwards of two hundred voters
liable to poll tax in sight Of the
court house, the sheriff collects from
less than half OF them.
An examination of the account Of
jury tax and fines makes the follow
ing showing
JURY TAX.
For January term, 1889 ...........S 90 90
For July term, 1885. 81 90
For January term, 1886. .......... 80 90
For January term, 1887. 60 90
lotal.. ............ S2Oo w
Amt credited Dec. 3, 'S6.......... AZ IS